gwendolyngrace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gwendolyngrace) wrote2008-11-21 09:13 am
gwendolyngrace) wrote2008-11-21 09:13 am
Still alive....
Car is hanging on (although the frame around the license plate broke off last night and I had to remove it), very, very tentative when it first gets into gear and then once it eases up into 5th it's fine, but yeesh, it's nerve-wracking.
I'm still not reading more than half my flist because yeah, I'm still WAY behind and no, I haven't seen last night's or even downloaded it yet, and yes, I heard about the 14th episode (thanks, Heidi).
As if I didn't spend enough time on it, I added a third character in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
hpalternity, but it's too fun not to do - and in some ways more fun because the character has more opportunity to interact with others (and it's fun to be 11). However, it's also time to really start spending more time on Azkatraz because it's going to be SO COOL. The wizard fashion show entries are in and will need some vetting, which I hope we'll do in the next week; we're putting together our vetting committees for programming (if you're interested, please let me know!) and getting ready for the Early Decision programming submissions; and we're pulling together contracts for two special venues that y'all are gonna love, as well as contacting guests and working on Wrock the Rock and the Prison Break Ball.
OH - and very important: Don't forget that we're holding a book fair in a couple weeks to celebrate the release of Tales of Beedle the Bard - your purchase at a Barnes and Noble, along with any other holiday shopping you might do there, will help HPEF and needy children. The vouchers are good NATIONWIDE at any Barnes and Noble and INCLUDE cafe purchases, so your coffee or coffee cake will also raise money! Watch theazkatraz community and the website for more information. The book comes out in only 2 weeks!
(Oh, yeah, so I didn't get cast, obviously - and the girl I thought she was going to cast was in fact the one she cast. Man, directors. They're so transparent.)
The show opened last night and there were only a few slight wobbles and slip-ups on my part - a couple early calls, a couple late ones - but nothing too obvious apart from one cue that I called and Frank didn't GO, so we were behind by a cue (and then late because I didn't realize we were behind until a really obvious light change didn't happen, but it's quick and followed by a complicated series of calls. Oops). Still. Kill me if I ever stage manage again, okay?
Oh, and one interesting thing. Earlier in the week when I was running the cue-to-cue, things were getting a little crazy and in particular, it seemed like every time I thought we had everyone together and could start something, someone wandered away or wasn't where they were supposed to be. And I was getting frustrated. At one point I turned to Frank and said, "Let me ask you something: When I speak, when the words come out of my mouth, are you hearing them? Are they English? Or am I just shouting into the wind?" - but, y'know, humourously, as a way of blowing off some attitude so that I *didn't* yell at people. At the end of rehearsal, after Celia's notes, I made folks again aware that the PA system doesn't work and so we have no way of running around to every nook and cranny of the theatre to make calls. It'll be easier when we're running (I said), but I reiterated that a. people can't go wandering off without letting someone know where they're gonna be; b. when I'm calling the show, especially if we're standing by for a cue, you CANNOT SPEAK into the headsets. No questions, no "Oh, Shit" and especially no, "Gwen, can you hear me?" because then I'm dealing with you and not CALLING THE CUE like I'm supposed to. And I think I said something about being on time, checking your props, etc., and I concluded by saying that if such-and-so doesn't happen and they're not good children, "I'm gonna get pissed. And you don't want me pissed." Because y'know? I'm a bitch, but I don't want to get angry with my friends, so don't give me cause.
Well. A few minutes later, the de-facto ASM (she's really officially Crew, but she kinda took on the role of ASM as a way to help the props mistress), and also former president of the group, asked to pull me aside and said that the *director* "had a problem with the anger" and asked me to curb the hostility (which...what hostility?) because it was "disrespectful." Well, it seemed really odd, because while I've never worked directly with this director before, I know her reputation well and I've already come to know in the short time working together that she doesn't hold back on her own vinegar when it's appropriate. She's not belittling (and I like to think I'm not either), but warm and loving she's not either. So it seemed strange that the tiny bit of frustration (which she was feeling too) and the strong note of warning I used would have been "over the line" to the director. But whatever, right? I know I'm scary and sometimes that puts people off. So okay.
But it bugged me.
I mentioned it to someone who has worked with this director A LOT and he said, "Well, that's kinda rich coming from her" which, yeah, I felt better.
But then the NEXT night, she told me that for the piece where I shout out of the booth, she doesn't want me to play it as apologetic and instead to be more gruff. And the actor to whom I say the line said (with the director standing RIGHT THERE), "Yeah, I don't know why you're being so nice on that line. Just be you."
I looked at him for a second and said, with all the love in the world, "Dude, fuck off." And he laughed (and she smiled too), but last night I told him why I really wanted to kill him at that moment. He has also worked with the director many times and knows her well and said, "Well, I would have said to her that she's not the warmest person in the world, either" and assured me that he didn't think there was any problem or that she was unhappy at all with me. Also that the fact that I'm unabashed about by bitchitude is something he likes about me. So good.
But it leaves the question of why the crew member told me she did have a problem. Uh-huh. Talked it over with Amy last night and she pointed out that this particular member has a history and a habit of having a conversation with some authority in which she's looking for permission to act, but the authority figure thinks she's just venting, and then she takes their sympathetic nod for the confirmation that she's looking for so she can "speak to" the person she feels is creating friction.
Oy.
Community theatre, man.
Okay - totally procrastinating and I should be getting work done. I just had to share and report on opening night.
I'm still not reading more than half my flist because yeah, I'm still WAY behind and no, I haven't seen last night's or even downloaded it yet, and yes, I heard about the 14th episode (thanks, Heidi).
As if I didn't spend enough time on it, I added a third character in
hpalternity, but it's too fun not to do - and in some ways more fun because the character has more opportunity to interact with others (and it's fun to be 11). However, it's also time to really start spending more time on Azkatraz because it's going to be SO COOL. The wizard fashion show entries are in and will need some vetting, which I hope we'll do in the next week; we're putting together our vetting committees for programming (if you're interested, please let me know!) and getting ready for the Early Decision programming submissions; and we're pulling together contracts for two special venues that y'all are gonna love, as well as contacting guests and working on Wrock the Rock and the Prison Break Ball.OH - and very important: Don't forget that we're holding a book fair in a couple weeks to celebrate the release of Tales of Beedle the Bard - your purchase at a Barnes and Noble, along with any other holiday shopping you might do there, will help HPEF and needy children. The vouchers are good NATIONWIDE at any Barnes and Noble and INCLUDE cafe purchases, so your coffee or coffee cake will also raise money! Watch the
azkatraz community and the website for more information. The book comes out in only 2 weeks!(Oh, yeah, so I didn't get cast, obviously - and the girl I thought she was going to cast was in fact the one she cast. Man, directors. They're so transparent.)
The show opened last night and there were only a few slight wobbles and slip-ups on my part - a couple early calls, a couple late ones - but nothing too obvious apart from one cue that I called and Frank didn't GO, so we were behind by a cue (and then late because I didn't realize we were behind until a really obvious light change didn't happen, but it's quick and followed by a complicated series of calls. Oops). Still. Kill me if I ever stage manage again, okay?
Oh, and one interesting thing. Earlier in the week when I was running the cue-to-cue, things were getting a little crazy and in particular, it seemed like every time I thought we had everyone together and could start something, someone wandered away or wasn't where they were supposed to be. And I was getting frustrated. At one point I turned to Frank and said, "Let me ask you something: When I speak, when the words come out of my mouth, are you hearing them? Are they English? Or am I just shouting into the wind?" - but, y'know, humourously, as a way of blowing off some attitude so that I *didn't* yell at people. At the end of rehearsal, after Celia's notes, I made folks again aware that the PA system doesn't work and so we have no way of running around to every nook and cranny of the theatre to make calls. It'll be easier when we're running (I said), but I reiterated that a. people can't go wandering off without letting someone know where they're gonna be; b. when I'm calling the show, especially if we're standing by for a cue, you CANNOT SPEAK into the headsets. No questions, no "Oh, Shit" and especially no, "Gwen, can you hear me?" because then I'm dealing with you and not CALLING THE CUE like I'm supposed to. And I think I said something about being on time, checking your props, etc., and I concluded by saying that if such-and-so doesn't happen and they're not good children, "I'm gonna get pissed. And you don't want me pissed." Because y'know? I'm a bitch, but I don't want to get angry with my friends, so don't give me cause.
Well. A few minutes later, the de-facto ASM (she's really officially Crew, but she kinda took on the role of ASM as a way to help the props mistress), and also former president of the group, asked to pull me aside and said that the *director* "had a problem with the anger" and asked me to curb the hostility (which...what hostility?) because it was "disrespectful." Well, it seemed really odd, because while I've never worked directly with this director before, I know her reputation well and I've already come to know in the short time working together that she doesn't hold back on her own vinegar when it's appropriate. She's not belittling (and I like to think I'm not either), but warm and loving she's not either. So it seemed strange that the tiny bit of frustration (which she was feeling too) and the strong note of warning I used would have been "over the line" to the director. But whatever, right? I know I'm scary and sometimes that puts people off. So okay.
But it bugged me.
I mentioned it to someone who has worked with this director A LOT and he said, "Well, that's kinda rich coming from her" which, yeah, I felt better.
But then the NEXT night, she told me that for the piece where I shout out of the booth, she doesn't want me to play it as apologetic and instead to be more gruff. And the actor to whom I say the line said (with the director standing RIGHT THERE), "Yeah, I don't know why you're being so nice on that line. Just be you."
I looked at him for a second and said, with all the love in the world, "Dude, fuck off." And he laughed (and she smiled too), but last night I told him why I really wanted to kill him at that moment. He has also worked with the director many times and knows her well and said, "Well, I would have said to her that she's not the warmest person in the world, either" and assured me that he didn't think there was any problem or that she was unhappy at all with me. Also that the fact that I'm unabashed about by bitchitude is something he likes about me. So good.
But it leaves the question of why the crew member told me she did have a problem. Uh-huh. Talked it over with Amy last night and she pointed out that this particular member has a history and a habit of having a conversation with some authority in which she's looking for permission to act, but the authority figure thinks she's just venting, and then she takes their sympathetic nod for the confirmation that she's looking for so she can "speak to" the person she feels is creating friction.
Oy.
Community theatre, man.
Okay - totally procrastinating and I should be getting work done. I just had to share and report on opening night.
no subject
Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking, reading through this. I don't think it's the director that has an issue with your attitude at all - I think it's the "ASM".